How To Stream Your DJ Sets On Mixcloud Live

In this article, we look at how to stream your DJ sets on Mixcloud Live – legally, using the platform’s new service. We dive straight into all you need to start

Mixcloud, the radio app for DJs, has recently announced its new streaming service Mixcloud Live. The service allows DJs to stream their live mixes legally. A welcome tool, as many DJs have taken to social media streaming services, only to have them stopped and/or taken down due to copyright issues.

So how do you stream live DJ sets with Mixcloud Live?

Before we get into that, let’s have a look at some pros and cons of the service;

The first thing to note is that it isn’t free – you first have to join MixCloud Pro and then register to be a Select Member. It will cost £9 per month, however, the first three months are free!

Now assuming you’re not an avid user of Mixcloud already, with a large following, the chances are you will be performing to nobody.

If you have already live-streamed on the popular social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, you will already know that your followers will be notified as soon as you go live and you probably post your upcoming mix in advance for maximum exposure. Those viewers will often share your mix with their friends either during the session or at a later time.

Read: Home DJ Studio Setup – The Ultimate Guide

With Mixcloud, however, there’s a lot more work involved if you want to have an audience worth writing about.  You could do some promotion on your usual social media accounts, but it is not as easy as you might think. The best way to get a decent following is to be an active user of Mixcloud – regularly upload mixes, live-stream some DJ sets and follow other users, much like some better-known DJ will have done in the past. That being said, having a Facebook and Instagram account for your DJ alias, posting regularly, increasing your audience there, and then sharing your Mixcloud activity will also be beneficial.

Another downside of using Mixcloud for your live streams is that they are not automatically saved on your profile, they simply disappear. So make sure you record them elsewhere so you can later upload them.

In time, you will be able to make money from your streams, which will make the process that bit more worthwhile.

How to Stream Your DJ Sets On Mixcloud Live

There is a guide on Mixcloud’s website, but it is not all that in-depth. We will give you a basic overview of what to do here.

What you will need:

A Mixcloud Pro subscription – free for 90 days (at time of writing)

Broadcast software – you can download this to your computer or laptop;

• • OBS – Free
  • Ecamm Live
  • XSplit
  • Streamlabs OBS
  • vMix
  • Light stream

You will also find some broadcast apps for smartphones and tablets. What you are looking for is anything that can broadcast “RTMP”. Hopefully, Mixcloud will integrate their own broadcast feature soon.

Mixcloud stream key – head over to the following link https://www.mixcloud.com/live/new, give your stream a name and then Mixcloud will give you a stream key and server name (the server name will be ‘rtmp://rtmp.mixcloud.com/broadcast’)

How to go live;

1. Get everything ready – set up your cameras, audio, broadcast software and DJ playout system.
2. Click ‘Start Streaming’ in your streaming software. If you’re using Mixcloud it will change to your stream. Don’t panic, this is just the preview screen so nobody else will be able to see it. Check everything looks and sounds as you want before moving on.
3. Share your stream link on social media – Click on the ‘Share Show’ button, this should copy the stream link to your clipboard. Share that link on your social accounts  in a captivating post to start promoting your stream.
4. Go Live! – Click on the ‘Send your Broadcast Live’ button and you are now broadcasting live. Mixcloud will notify your followers on that platform.
5. Introduce yourself in the chat – It is a good idea to introduce yourself using the chat feature in your live stream, let them know who you are and what type of mix or music you are playing. You could even allow your viewers to make requests.
6. Enjoy! – You are now live in the mix. Play for around 30 – 60 minutes. Enjoy what you are doing. Remember to record your mix for later uploading, and so you can listen back and learn from it.

Bonus Tip: Did you know that you can actually stream to multiple streaming services?! Go to https://restream.io/, stream your mix and then select the streaming platforms you want to play through.

How To Stream Your DJ Sets On Mixcloud Live – Final Thoughts

Being able to stream your sets online, legally is a fantastic advancement for DJs. Mixcloud is leading the way in this service at the moment, and I’m sure others will follow soon.

Give it a try and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.